Ho contribuito a creare il Novichok, ma non avrei mai pensato che Putin lo avrebbe usato

Dr Vil Mirzayanov sometimes wonders why he is still alive, and not just because he is 90 years old.

Russian agents have a long history of trying to murder defectors abroad, and Mirzayanov seems like a prime target for them. Back in the 1990s, the senior scientist risked his life by revealing the existence of Moscow’s covert chemical weapons programme, after becoming concerned about the dangers it posed to the world.

He also warned about its deadliest weapon, which until then had remained secret: Novichok.

Mirzayanov knew everything about this group of nerve agents – including how just a tiny amount could apparently kill a person within minutes – for one very simple reason. It was his crucial lab work that helped make Novichok a viable weapon.

The whistleblower was fortunate to avoid years in Russian prison as punishment for his disclosures, before moving to the US 30 years ago.

Following the assassination attempt on former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 – using Mirzayanov’s own creation – he realises he’s lucky that spies haven’t unleashed Novichok on him.

Speaking to The i Paper from his home in New Jersey, in good but sometimes hesitant English, he says: “I don’t know for what reason why they didn’t kill me, so far. It’s puzzle for me.”

This month, an official inquiry concluded that the attack on Skripal, which also nearly killed the former intelligence officer’s daughter Yulia, must have been authorised by Vladimir Putin himself.

It also found the Russian president “morally responsible” for the death of British woman Dawn Sturgess. She died four months later after being accidentally exposed to Novichok, with the inquiry saying it was “highly likely” to have been the same batch of poison.

Mirzayanov agrees wholeheartedly with this. He couldn’t be firmer about his “absolutely negative” view of Putin. “He’s dictator, he’s criminal. Putin gave permit to kill, to use this Novichok agent,” he claims.

The scientist also feels personally accountable, however. Guilt about his leading role in perfecting such a deadly poison has haunted Mirzayanov for years. On bad days, it is “not so bearable”, he says. “I believe, I’m sure, I was participating in criminal action.”

On the other hand, he’s confident that his bravery in speaking out led to antidotes being developed, saving lives. “I had to go into the public, to the people, and reveal as far as possible these old secrets to help people. That’s what my goal is.”

Sure.

He developed a nerve agent that rus*ia would have never used. Makes sense.

Where’s my tiny violin ? Anyone seen it ?

I helped create Nuke – but I never thought Truman would use it

Obviously “Never thought”

This brings to mind Fritz Haber.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Haber

I don’t know of any person in history that did more good AND more bad in the world.

Developed the Haber Bosch Process for electrically fixing nitrogen for fertilizer which entirely changed agriculture.

Instrumental in WWI chemical warfare development.

“I helped create the Torture Nexus. But I never thought they would use it.”

For context (it’s a broad introduction to the topic but very accessible), I highly suggest reading David Hoffman’s Dead Hand. Their news would have come from state-approved propaganda and the same people indoctrinating them into their respective programmes assured them that they had reliable intelligence that the West was doing the same. Novichock was created long before Putin came to power.

**As is stated in the article**, Mirzayanov blew the whistle when the crumbling remains of the USSR was trying to sweep all this under the rug. He also isn’t denying responsibility, he’s expressing astonishment that anyone (even someone as diabolical as Putin) would use such a deadly weapon so casually.

The late stage spirituality is hard – you start to understand that “forgiveness” might not just be that easy and that it might come with some karma attached. Saying sorry, forgive me and my sins – Is such a convenient way to be religious. But black/white, up/down, negative/positive, heaven/hell – the duality is not something that is “hacked” with a sorry.

“I developed the guillotine, but never thought it would be used on me” “I developed the bronze bull, I never thought it would be used on me”

Soviets biggest defect of humanity

Idiotic heading.

Developing such things should land you in the Hague, whether you think the evil guy getting you to do it says he’ll use it or not.

Dude definitely is a mad scientist and knew exactly what he was doing for the fuhrer

“It’s never just science. It’s a weapon. It kills.”
– John Crichton, Farscape